Buying Eyeglasses Online: A Close Look at Eyewear Websites

The growing number of websites that specialize in eyeglasses has skyrocketed — and the appeal is clear: they can save you time (no running to the optician) and money (many sites offer dozens of styles at affordable prices).

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But are eyeglasses sold online up to par with those sold at a storefront optician? And how do these online sites compare in quality of merchandise, range of selection, price, shopping guidance, and shipping and return policies? Experts at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI) set out to answer these questions.

How We Tested Eyewear Sites

We scoured the Web and found 19 sites that sell prescription glasses or just reading glasses. We looked at how many eyeglass styles each site sold, the attractiveness of the styles sold, their return policy — and narrowed our list to nine that looked most promising. We then asked consumer testers to go online, order glasses and assess their shopping experience and the eyewear bought. We also consulted Ethan Brown, ABO, FNAO, an optician and fellow of the National Academy of Opticianry in New York City, to evaluate the lenses to ensure the accuracy of prescription strength and pupillary distance. Here are our eye-opening findings:

Budget Buy Eyewear Sites

We evaluated three websites that offer glasses at extremely affordable prices: Glassesshop.com, Eyebuydirect.com, and Globaleyeglasses.com. The eyewear from these sites cost our testers, on average, $68 per pair of single vision frames and $143 per pair of progressives.

Best Option: GlassesShop.com Testers found that being able to upload photos of their faces in order to see how different pairs of glasses look on them was very helpful. In fact, in general, this website outstripped its budget-minded competitors across the board. None of the eyeglasses bought from this site had prescription errors and all testers thought the actual frames closely resembled what they had seen in the pictures. Good Housekeeping's Fashion Director Jasmine Chang rated GlassesShop's eyewear the most stylish offered in the Budget Buy category. With more than 500 styles available on the site, just about anyone should be able to find a pair they like. On average, our testers spent $47 per pair of spectacles, again ranking best in the category. Orders arrived the fastest — in eight days. Glasses, moreover, can be refunded for 50% of the purchase price if they prove defective within 90 days. The website also offers a slender money-back guarantee window, open for five days from the time you receive your glasses.

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EyeBuyDirect.com Half of the glasses purchased from this site had prescription problems. One pair had an uncalled for "prism," a correction for double vision that the consumer tester did not need; another had an unwanted "retroscopic tilt," with the lenses angling away from the face. Testers who received glasses with the correct prescription were very satisfied with their purchases. And users found the website a breeze to navigate, minus an occasional snag at checkout. True to the website's promise of delivery within 14 days, glasses arrived in two weeks. They can be returned within 30 days for any reason and are protected by a generous one-year warranty.

GlobalEyeglasses.com Spectacles ordered from this site tended to fit poorly. One tester ordered glasses with a cylinder correction that counteracts astigmatism, and Brown noted that it was missing from the lenses. Glasses came in flimsy cases. More so than any other site in this category, GlobalEyeglasses.com dispensed glasses that looked like they did online. They were slow to arrive, taking on average nearly 16 days. Unhappy customers must replace their frames within 30 days, for there is no warranty after the initial money back period.

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Ben Goldstein/Studio D

Fashion Forward Eyewear Sites

Glasses ordered from sites offering more upscale-looking designs — WarbyParker.com, Mezzmer.com, and BonLook.com — pleased our testers more than the Budget Buys. Most testers found the frames from these websites and the eyeglass styles to be aesthetically pleasing.

Best Option: WarbyParker.com "For the first time, I feel confident in my glasses. Confident enough that I actually wore them to work and on a date," a tester who ordered from this site remarked. This site with stylist spectacles carrying names like "Huxley," "Chandler," or "Roosevelt," edged out Mezzmer.com by a nose when it came to being a top pick in this category. The difference was mostly in small details. Warby Parker's came in a spacious suede case, a luxury you'd expect from glasses far more expensive. Live chat and phone support are available for easy shopping. Warby Parker will call your optician if you don't know your prescription. Glasses arrived, on average, six days after being ordered and can be returned within 30 days for any reason. Within one year, they will be replaced for free if scratched. All of the 53 women's single-vision glasses offered by Warby Parker cost $95.

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Mezzmer.com This website and its glasses earned praise from testers, making it a close second to WarberParker.com. There was one set of spectacles that was off in pupillary distance by 4 millimeters — an error that only had a subtle effect, given the tester's mild prescription. Glasses looked upon arrival precisely as shown on the site, which was easy to navigate and offers clear sizing info and a refreshingly useful FAQ section. Glasses are priced at $99 a pair. Mezzmer.com and WarbyParker.com both earned top marks for customer service.

Both WarbyParker.com and Mezzmer.com let shoppers pick five frames that are then shipped to you for free so you can select and order your favorite style. (The return shipping for the five frames is free). They also offer a five-day at-home trial period.

BonLook.com This is the only website in this category to offer progressives. It was also the only website that gave our testers problems. The progressives felt off to testers, as did single-vision glasses: one pair came with too-large frames, another with too-strong lenses. Testers found the digital try-on feature helpful in choosing frames. BonLook.com's single-vision glasses are priced at $99 a pair and took just over seven days to reach testers. The website will replace glasses that prove defective within a 30-day period.

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Ben Goldstein/Studio D

Reading Glasses Sites

In many ways, ordering readers is much simpler and more certain to please than ordering more complex prescriptions from online eyewear sites. Most consumer testers were satisfied with the reading glasses they bought online and our optician expert concurred that the magnifications were all accurate.

Top pick: PeeperSpecs.com With an ideal combination of low prices (average price for glasses we bought on this site was $21), a selection of 500 styles, and quality frames, this site emerged as the top website for buying readers. One tester noted: "I didn't know it could be so easy to order readers on the web and quickly get back a pair that looks good for less than I'd have paid at the drugstore!" The website also made for a painless shopping experience. The site helps you match your eyeglass lens shape to face type and skin complexion to frame color. Glasses took, on average, just three days to get to consumers. The site offers a full refund within 30 days for any reason.

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Eyebobs.com The super stylish readers on this site all cost $75 per pair and are perfect if you have a funky aesthetic. You have a choice of cases in many colors, including one "vegan" case. Glasses arrived in one week. A limited warranty covers the glasses for one year, but they can be returned within 30 days for any reason.

ReadingGlasses.com With a staggeringly vast selection of almost 2,000 pairs of readers, this site may be worthwhile for you to check out. Just be forewarned, this site frustrated testers because it didn't offer readers much help in selecting the right glasses from the many available. Glasses reached testers quickly — usually in about four to five days. Returns can be made for any reason within 30 days. A one-year warranty protects glasses against any manufacturing-related defects.

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